Explorans - Dip. Psicologia e Scienze Cognitive UniTrento

ROVERETO-ITALY 30-31 JANUARY 2015
Live streaming Friday 30th January  9:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m.; Saturday 31st January  11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
150 PARTICIPANTS FROM SEVERAL ITALIAN AND EUROPEAN REGIONS

Introduction (Dario Fortin)
The Italian university research in the field of Social Health Education is still at an early stage, yet internationally oriented.
In this sector expertise and creativity in the practice are widespread and regard various sectors involved in the social-educational activity aiming at protecting the fundamental rights of individuals facing social and health difficulties, independently on their age and gender. Such fundamental rights regard the right to access: education, health, subsistence, training, social inclusion, culture, vocational training and work. Today these goals seem to be harder and harder to achieve, not only in Italy but also in other areas of the world, because of economic policies and financial globalisation factors which have worsened the economic and social inequalities at global level.

Figures describing the Italian situation show a high number of people involved in supporting people in difficulty: 5 million volunteers, 25,000 social health educators, 40,000 social workers, 37,000 psychotherapists. The Non-profit sector relies on the working contribution of more than 1 million people including trainers, educators, psychologist, social workers, animators, technicians, administrative, religious, young in civil service.

However, during the last two decades, the Italian national policies have almost completely neglected this widespread movement of citizens and professionals who devote their time, every day, to achieve the common good. Mass-media have continuously focused on the sensational news rather than on the best practices regarding personal care services and attention to the local communities. The priorities on their agenda have always been different.

Research, education and development have always been implemented in difficult circumstances, marked by the impossibility to organise activities in multi-annual plans. The world of education has always worked in a difficult environment, marked by misunderstandings, legal obstacles, broken promises, job instability and negligence of the policy makers. Only 13 degree courses in Social Health Education have been activated in Italy and investment in the relevant research is still very limited.

This conference aims at starting a comparison among the research activities carried out in Italy and in various European countries, to facilitate the academic internationalization processes, both in the field of training and of research.

Explorans is a new lab, within the university, aimed at supporting people who are continuously devoting their enthusiasm to the human being and try to reinstate their efforts through their personal activity and the rigorous research of methods and contents for educational activities.

Professor Dario Fortin University of Trento
Scientific Coordinator

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